Better view ensures greater safety

The new fork positioner "View" from Linde Material Handling is claimed to provide a significantly improved view of the forks, especially when storing and retrieving goods. Thus, it effectively prevents damage to cargo as well as to building components, equipment and trucks. The fork positioner is available for all electric and IC-powered counterbalanced trucks in the load range of 1.2 to 5.0 tons.

Fork positioners have become indispensable in many industrial sectors – for example, when it comes to storing goods accurately, down to the nearest millimeter, on truck loading platforms or shelves. By moving the forks to the left and right, the driver can position the cargo faster and more exactly. Equally important for the safe and precise movement of the load, however, is a clear view of the fork arm through the lift mast, fork carriage and fork positioner. And this is just where Linde's product management identified further potential for improve­ment.

"Our aim was to increase the driver's scope of visibility in order to better support them in their work and make processes safer," says Frank Bergmann, Product Manager Counterbalanced Trucks at Linde Material Handling. "An import­ant finding arising from our development work was the fact that several smaller viewing areas are more effective than just a few large ones," explains Bergmann.

To this end, the sideshift cylinder was arranged in a slightly raised position and the fork adjustment cylinders placed in the middle, which resulted in numerous new viewing gaps. Beveled web plates and the use of tubes instead of hoses also contribute to giving the driver a better view of the fork arms. Another positive effect of the newly employed tubes is that they provide protection against damage caused by collisions, which increases the availability of the equipment.

Best view in the main working area

The solution was optimised for lift heights of between 700 and 1,400 millimetres. It is mostly in this range that wire containers are stacked or trucks are loaded and unloaded. "With the new fork positioner, we are giving our customers a key to opening another door to more safety and efficiency when using forklifts," says Frank Bergmann. The attachment can be mounted flexibly: Customers with individually bolted forks can use the new solution as well, as the fork positioner's crossbars feature three pilot holes each. The fork positioner is delivered directly ex works and is part of Linde's range of original spare parts; maintenance is performed by the Linde service network.

Last but not least, the new fork positioner is another piece in the mosaic of Linde's safety concept "Vision Zero - Safety in your world". This includes the company's entire portfolio of safety-oriented technical innovations for industrial trucks as well as intelligent assistance systems, comprehensive training programmes and consulting services. "Vision Zero" is a holistic approach to reducing work-related accidents in material handling to zero. "Safety is one of the key levers for improving business performance. That's why our vision is to help customers eliminate accidents. 'Vision Zero' is our contribution to a safer and more productive future," says Andreas Krinninger, Chairman of the Management Board at Linde Material Handling.

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